Sincerity And Truth

As we approach the time of Passover when our Messiah died for us, I am reminded of scriptures that tell the story and of those that tell us what to do about it. It can be a challenge to stay on God’s path. It can be a challenge to say and do the right things. But our God always is there as a loving Father, giving us insights about right and wrong, and encouraging us to choose what is right. Sometimes He uses the scriptures to do this. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is an example of this.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Here Paul is saying that Jesus is our Passover lamb, our sacrifice for sin. Therefore when we keep the Passover this year and every year, it is good to get the leaven out of our midst and keep the Passover in sincerity and truth. In this case he was speaking about sexual sin. Later he describes a wide variety of sins that we need to get out of our midst. Ultimately it is a good time for us to get all sin out of our life and reflect on the price He paid that we might be reunited with God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Thank You for all You do. As we approach Passover, please help us to remember that You have delivered us from bondage. We thank You for that. Forgive us for the leaven in our lives, and help us to get rid of it. Please send today Your healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A friend of mine wrote me an email and asked if there was anything he could pray for me. What cam to mind was revival for people in our area, and for the blinders of deception to be removed from the eyes of us as believers that we might know the truth. You see, I am not a formally trained preacher. Although I hold several degrees including advanced degrees, none of them are in the area of religion. All I have to rely on is what I can read and try to understand from the bible and spending time with God. What I have discovered is, God is enough, at least He is for me.

John 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

It makes me sad to think that we can miss the mark and miss God. He has done so much for us, yet if we are not diligent to seek the truth, we will be blind.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

What concerns me most is that if people are and have been blind to the point that it has been in their families and generations for years, how would they know, for blindness would be accepted as the norm?

I pray that we might not be blind, any of us.

Prayer
Father, We praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Thank You for Your willingness to be with us and for us. Thank You for giving us Your ways and Your wisdom. We ask that You not let us remain blind. Help us to be willing to see the truth, and then see it. Teach us each one individually the way to go. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Getting To The Kingdom

When we think about our lives as believers, we often think about God’s kingdom. We as believers long to see that kingdom here on earth. We long for the return of Messiah to set things right. But a question that I consider is, how can we help get there? Can we as believers do something to promote the kingdom on earth? What might that be? As I consider this possibility, I am reminded of what Paul said about the kingdom.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Here Paul tells us that the kingdom of God is not made up of the things around us, but of things that are spiritual – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If these are what makes up the kingdom of God, how do we promote the kingdom? jesus gave us some indight here.

Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

The kindom suffers from violence, and those that want the kingdom to move forward use violence to take it. What can that mean to us? The violent use the violence of declaring the truth. They declare the truth by what they say and do. We can be these people if what we say and do is in line with the kingdom.

Today, if we want to move the kingdom of God forward, we need to be saying and doing the things that are of the kingdom – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are the King in Your kingdom. Please help us to promote Your kingdom here in the earth. Please forgive us when what do does not line up with Your kingdom. Please bring Your kingdom into our lives in healing, deliverance, and provision in a way that all men may know that You alone are King. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

On Our Way

When we determine that we want to follow our Messiah, things change. We get both blessing and resistance. The blessings come from God. The resistance comes from the enemy. The good news for us is God is far bigger than the enemy – the difference is even greater than comparing our planet to a pebble from the driveway. The challenge for us is remembering just how good and great our God is in times of challenges. He is on our side. We just need to trust Him.

Psalms 28:6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

God will lift us up – FOREVER! We have already beaten the enemy – FOREVER! Whenever there is doubt and fear, it is our enemy attacking us, and God is on our side to be our strength and save us – FOREVER! God has provided for us to be able to live with Him in us now, with access to the Jesus within us – FOREVER!

Colossians 2:3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God hid all treasures in our Messiah. Then, through His mercy and grace, allowed us to have the Messiah in us if we will just turn to Him, seek forgiveness, and ask Him to be our savior.

And we get these amazing benefits – IMMEDIATELY AND FOREVER!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. We ask that You guide and keep us. Please forgive us when we get off Your path. Keep renewing Your hope within us. Please send us Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Redirection

This morning while I waited for the sun to show itself, I thought about the need for a believer to follow in God’s ways. Like Paul, I am always amazed at the challenge it is to do what we know we should and to not do what we know we should not do.

Romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

It truly is amazing to think, after all that God has done for us, that we still cannot get life right all the time. It is like walking to the bank to pay the mortgage and stopping by the casino to risk it on a slot machine, thinking you will hit the big one. The truth is, we already did. God is in control of everything and He is on our side. It’s like having the house on our side, knowing that we already have access to all the cash in the vault whether we play even one single game. The owner of everything is our Dad.

This may not be the best comparison, but it got me to thinking. Why do we keep going? Then I remembered something from the other day. My wife got the car stuck in a snow bank at a weird angle at the end of the drive. I not only needed to get the car unstuck, I also needed it to turn pretty sharply. My wife had been trying to get it out doing both at the same time. That’s right, before she called me, so it was REALLY stuck. I had her get in and straighten the wheel. I told her once we got back a certain distance, just hit the brake. Sure enough we did. Then as we got it moving forward I was easily able to turn it away from the snow bank. The point is if we are at least trying, even if failing, redirection to the right path is easier than starting from a dead stop.

Today, if you are stopped from going in God’s way, just try something. Once you get started, call a friend and ask for some encouragement to make a course correction. Redirection is easier than moving from a dead stop.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Please forgive us from not staying the course You have given us. Help us to make the course corrections today Father. Please send us Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Who Will Stand?

This morning I was thinking about what we are doing as believers to advance the kingdom. The answer is, I think all we can, and yet we need to do more. Or at least we would like to do more. And here is what I came up with, for now. We have to take a stand. And I found this scripture.

Psalms 47:1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

And here we see that we need to praise our God. When we do, He puts the enemy under our feet.

Today, when you have an opportunity to think about the kingdom, push back! Take a stand, and praise our God, the Most High! Stand!

Praise
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We want to stand with You. Help us to stand. Pick us up if we fall. We love and exalt You. Please send to us our deliverance, our healing, and our provision for today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Patterns For Life

For some time now as I have been reading the scriptures I have noticed what appears to be patterns embedded in various places, both the Old and New Testaments. These patterns seem to present to us as believers thoughts, actions, and speaking that when repeated produce specific results, either good or bad. The outcomes are good when the patterns are God’s ways, and bad when they are not (the ways of man and/or evil). On the surface this may seem either “common sense” or simplistic, but to me it is neither. It is possible it is one of the fundamental messages that God is trying to communicate to us, and through us to the world; perhaps a primary purpose to life. I found yet another example in the psalms this morning that I had passed by in previous readings.

Psalms 119:ZAIN.
49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.
56 This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Here the psalmist is saying that God’s word to him was his source for hope. God’s statutes have become his songs. Interestingly he says that in the night, when there can be darkness and fear, he remembered God’s name (which also refers to God’s position) resulting in him keeping God’s law. But the part I had not seen before is in verse 56. These things in the previous verses – hope, comfort, the ability to fight off the darkness – all were in the psalmists possession because he kept God’s precepts, God’s patterns for life. It seems that the keeping of these patterns perpetuates them in our lives, which would include all of the many blessings of healing, deliverance, and provision.

God’s way is a way of repetitive patterns based on His statutes. Want a different, better life? Find the patterns, and repeat them!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You today as our King. Today we have for You nothing to give but our lives. It is small compared to what You have given and do give every day. Please forgive us when we fail to keep Your ways, and help us to get back to them. Please send us today healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Vigilance

This morning as I sat and thought about how big life really is, I thought about what it means for God to create something for us like salvation. I think about what the world must have been like before the fall, with there being peace, warm temperatures, plenty for everyone to eat, and God regularly walking in the garden with man. Then, because we as humans made mistakes, we lost such a wonderful home. And now, God has provided a way back to that home one day. Not only has He provided that way, He gives us His healing, deliverance provision, and defense on that journey every day. That truly is amazing. But at times I can either get caught up in so much of life that I lose sight of that goal. At other times, there are what seems like attacks from the dork spiritual forces that exist against our minds to make us afraid, doubt, or in whatever way allow our minds to be drawn to things other than God. What do we do?

Psalms 147:18 But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.

We can fight back, but we have to do it every day, all the time, forever. We really do have the ability and the power to win. It comes to us from God. He will stand and fight for us, and bless us. That is what is said in the verses just before this verse, and in many places in scripture.

Psalms 147:11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
15 Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

Our weapon is our praise and thanksgiving to God. If we will just open our mouth, our God will deliver us.

Bring in God’s kingdom to your life today. Praise God out loud, thanking Him, today, and everyday for the rest of life.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You, for You are our King. We love You. Today we ask that You show us how You want us to usher in Your kingdom. Give us the courage to speak on Your behalf to the world around us. We ask that You help us to learn more about Your ways. We long to walk with You on the earth when all things are restored. Until then we will offer to You our praise and our thanks every day. Please give us today the healing, the deliverance, the defense, and the provision that we need, and help us to bless those around us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

It’s Called Love

It seems obvious that on February 14, Valentine’s Day, we should have something about love. Today is supposedly a day to celebrate that love. Let us not take away from the need for couples to let their mates know they care. But it is a good reason to stop and consider love as believers. There are two or three scriptures that really stand out to me about love.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I never cease to be amazed when I read this scripture. I guess it is both because I have a son and I am a son. I love others, but to give up a son or have him suffer for others, especially those that hate him, would be impossible for me.

In John’s first letter we also see with clarity that we are to truly care for those around us.

1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Every day is a good day to love others. But today, and the day that is supposed to be dedicated to love. Let’s make an extra effort to love the unlovely, and to reach out to those in need.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We love You Father. Please help us to remember to love ourselves and to love others. We want to serve You. We want to reach out with Your kingdom to others. Help us to know what that takes. Help us to love. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Challenge Of Control

Today I was reading the letter from James. In chapter 3 there is a discussion about the tongue and how powerful it is. Comparisons were made to ships and animals.

James 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

An interesting part for me came when I investigated the root meaning of the Greek word for tongue. It refers to both the physical part of the body and the language it naturally learns, as if they are tied together. I do not fully understand what this means, but there seems to be a connection to our language and our control of ourselves through the use of the tongue. James refers to this when he says both good and bad should not come out of the same mouth, and then talks about what is in our hearts.

James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

James is giving examples that good and bad cannot and should not come from the same place. He connects what is in our hearts to the actions we see in our lives. Finally, in the last verse in the chapter he notes how we can work toward that place of control.

James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

We get good fruit, good speaking and actions, when we plant those things. How do we do that? By spending time meditating on the scriptures, praying and praising God, and asking God to help us think on the good. That sounds like a good formula for a life that is turning more toward God every day.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are the Most High God. Help us remember to meditate on the scriptures every day. Help us to remember to talk to You every day. Please forgive us for the things we say and do that are not right in Your eyes and are not according to Your ways. Please heal and purify our hearts. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.